I"m new to the volvo game, i recently bought a 1986 240 GL and fell in love with it. It's not a turbo'd model(wish it was) but then again i only bought it for the gas milage compared to my old jeep. The only issues that i am having is that the fifth gear doesnt really work too well, its not the switch or anything i had checked all the wiring and it was fine. It just doesnt like to stay in 5th. On the highway it will work as soon as i throw the switch but if i have to slow down for anything it will slam in 4th and never go back into 5th unless i let the car rest for a few. It will also skip in and out making the car vibrate really bad.

Another thing, i was wondering if anyone has put an aftermarket head unit in one of these because i really cant stand the stock radio.


Anyone have any answers for a newbie.

Oh and sorry for the giant glob of text :thumbsup:

Welcome to the "club". ur g'box sounds dead-used replacement may not be much better, and since they're rarer that the autos, perhaps still expensive. A rebuild sounds cruel to a newb, but I can't do better than that. Sorry. re-radio-do a search on this site, you'll find many posts about it-there is an external amp hidden in the car. Most ppl seem to bypass it now. Forum members glad to help where we can, ask, someone might have a spare box nearby? Spend some time reading various old post themes, they'll clue you up a lot. Remember you have to DIY most things to afford to keep theold girl going, & I'm surprised, a Volvo bought for fuel economy? That's just such an oxymoron. Einstein was right, everything is relative.

A few months ago I replaced my original SR-3122 radio with an Alpine AM/FM/CD/MP3. Crutchfield dot com has the scoop including instructions, wiring harness and connectors. It was so easy even I could do it.

However, I still like the original and I've kept it until I get it fixed. The Alpine is great but I'm not much for whiz-bang. Just plain old AM/FM is fine by me.